Boston Sports Megaplex

Last updated November 17, 2019

The Boston Sports Megaplex was a sports megaplex that was proposed in the mid-1990s to replace Fenway Park, Foxboro Stadium, and create a new convention center.

Fenway Park is a baseball park located in Boston, Massachusetts, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home for the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise. It is the oldest ballpark in MLB. Because of its age and constrained location in Boston's dense Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood, the park has been renovated or expanded many times, resulting in quirky features including "The Triangle," Pesky's Pole, and the Green Monster in left field. It is the fourth-smallest among MLB ballparks by seating capacity, second-smallest by total capacity, and one of eight that cannot accommodate at least 40,000 spectators.

Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) until 2002 and also as the home venue for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer (MLS) from 1996 to 2002. The stadium was the site of several games in both the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. Foxboro Stadium was demolished in 2002 and replaced by Gillette Stadium and the Patriot Place shopping center.

Convention center building that is designed to hold a convention

A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees. Very large venues, suitable for major trade shows, are sometimes known as exhibition centres. Convention centers typically have at least one auditorium and may also contain concert halls, lecture halls, meeting rooms, and conference rooms. Some large resort area hotels include a convention center. Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Conference Centre, Dubai and Covention and Events Centre, Estel Hotel, Berlin, are two of the most impressive convention hotels.

History

The proposed sites for this hybrid convention center-stadium were Summer Street in South Boston or at the so-called Crosstown site along Melnea Cass Boulevard in Roxbury, adjacent to Boston's South End. Ultimately, the administration of Massachusetts Governor William Weld pushed for construction of a full "Megaplex" at the crosstown site, with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino favoring construction of a new, stand-alone convention center in South Boston. Ultimately, the residents of neither of these neighborhoods wanted a stadium, thus Menino backed out fearing it would affect his chance at re-election.^[1] The Fenway Park plan was cancelled after many "Save Fenway Park!" groups popped up to save the historic ballpark.

Summer Street in Boston, Massachusetts, extends from Downtown Crossing in the Financial District, over Fort Point Channel, and into South Boston to the southeast. In the mid-19th century it was also called Seven Star Lane.

South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, is a predominantly working class Irish Catholic community and a recent hot spot for the millennial population.

Melnea Cass Boulevard is a street in Boston, Massachusetts, located between Dudley Square in Roxbury and the South End. It is named after local community and civil rights activist Melnea Cass. The road's right-of-way was originally planned to be part of Interstate 695, until its cancellation. There is also an MBTA Silver Line station named Melnea Cass Boulevard on this street.

Ultimately, Fenway replacement plans were cancelled, the New England Patriots constructed a replacement stadium right next to Foxboro Stadium, and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was built near the waterfront. Many theories abound as to why the plan failed, but many factors have been deemed as being responsible.^[2]

The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is located 28 miles (45 km) southwest of Boston, Massachusetts. The Patriots are also headquartered at Gillette Stadium.

Gillette Stadium is a stadium in the northeastern United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 28 miles (45 km) southwest of downtown Boston and twenty miles (32 km) northeast of downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It opened 17 years ago in 2002, replacing the adjacent Foxboro Stadium. The seating capacity is 65,878, including 5,876 club seats and 89 luxury suites.

The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) is an exhibition center in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is among the largest exhibition centers in the Northeastern United States, with approximately 516,000 square feet of contiguous exhibition space. The main exhibition floor comprises three bays which can be isolated for separate shows or linked into one large space.

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References

↑ Roberts, Randy (30 April 2005). The Rock, the Curse, and the Hub: A Random History of Boston Sports . Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. pp. 191–192. ISBN 978-0-674-01504-3.
↑ Rich, Wilbur C. (2000). The Economics and Politics of Sports Facilities. Westport, Conn. [u.a.]: Quorum Books. ISBN 978-1567203172.

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[Roberts-1] Roberts, Randy (30 April 2005). The Rock, the Curse, and the Hub: A Random History of Boston Sports . Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. pp. 191–192. ISBN 978-0-674-01504-3.

[Rich-2] Rich, Wilbur C. (2000). The Economics and Politics of Sports Facilities. Westport, Conn. [u.a.]: Quorum Books. ISBN 978-1567203172.